Bungie has been one of my favorite developers. Ever since I started playing Halo, I've been interested in it's other games as well such as Marathon, Oni, and other games. Theres a website that organizes multiplayer games here. You can download the entire Marathon trilogy for free here

Its a classic that was popular at the time of it's release. Similar to Doom, it uses 3D environments and 2D character sprites. However, unlike Doom, instead of running and gunning, there are more objective oriented levels such as flipping certain switches or accessing certain areas. I enjoy the fact that the game can accommodate up to 8-players in both co-op and in multiplayer. When Marathon: Durandal became available for XBLA, nearly all the textures for that game was replaced and used for the PC version of that installment which can, of course, changed to use the older graphics. As much as I enjoy the multiplayer, I find it disheartening to see few players on the servers, and I hope to get more people to try this game out.

The marathon trilogy has a very complex plot. In the first game, you're defending the U.E.S.C. Marathon from alien slavers known as the P'fhor. In Marathon 2: Durandal, you are seeking the mythic eleventh Sph't clan on their home planet of Lh'owon. In marathon Infinity, you are trying to prevent the P'for from accidentally releasing a chaotic being from it's prison on Lh'owon's sun.

The weapons included throughout the trilogy include:

The pistol which can be dual weilded for an increased rate of fire.

The MA-75B assault rifle/grenade launcher.

The Double Barreled Shotgun, which, believe it or not, can be dual wielded to double the rate of fire. Thats right, dual wielding double barreled shotguns.

The symbolic fusion pistol, a pistol that is powered by fusion batteries and is more effective on heavy armor.

The rocket launcher, that can fire two rockets in a fast amount of time.

There is one more gun in marathon infinity that can fire underwater but I forget what it's called. Its more like a powerful SMG.

There is a wide variety of enemies that are fought throughout the series, the most memorable being the Simulacrum BoBs (Born on Board), walking explosives disguised as humans, which are most memorable for their quote "Frog Blast the Vent core!" There are a large variety of other aliens ranging from the common warrior to the tank-like Drinniol. But that hails in comparison to the gargantuan Juggernaut, a living gunship that shoots rockets and long range flamethrowers.

Last edited by The Mad Doctor on Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:12 pm, edited 4 times in total.

"Suddenly Frodo noticed that a strange-looking weather-beaten man, sitting in the shadows near the wall, was also listening intently to the hobbit-talk. He had a tall tankard in front of him, and was smoking a long-stemmed pipe curiously carved. His legs were stretched out before him, showing high boots of supple leather that fitted him well, but had seen much wear and were now caked with mud. A travel-stained cloak of heavy dark-green cloth was drawn close about him, and in spite of the heat of the room he wore a hood that overshadowed his face; but the gleam of his eyes could be seen as he watched the hobbits."

It's worth a try. A damn good try. When I first played on my IPhone (yes, it's available on the iOS), it was buggy and I didn't know how to figure out the puzzles. But as I got used to the unusual controls and unique puzzles, I was able to enjoy the game and continue the campaign. Some puzzles require some extra help, which is why I would recommend to play the campaign on co-op (remember the 8 players?). After you get used to solving puzzles, the shooting gets very fun.

Blood Archon wrote:Hmm... I see what it is but still no reason why to stop playing Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for it.

Sell the idea man. What makes it interesting, and why would people want to play it over others?

Also, aren't they rebooting Marathon?

After reading A LOT of "Midna x Link" fan fictions (long story) and I actually want to get Twilight Princess for the Wii ASAP! Just wanted to know: Which console do you have the game and is it difficult?

Please tell me, you are not trying to troll me right now by telling me you want to play Zelda: Twilight princess, because I intended to create this about Marathon and other Bungie classics, and not Nintendo games. Beside, the Marathon trilogy is for free.

Blood Archon wrote:Hmm... I see what it is but still no reason why to stop playing Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for it.

Sell the idea man. What makes it interesting, and why would people want to play it over others?

Also, aren't they rebooting Marathon?

After reading A LOT of "Midna x Link" fan fictions (long story) and I actually want to get Twilight Princess for the Wii ASAP! Just wanted to know: Which console do you have the game and is it difficult?

I have it for the Wii. I remember some sections being extremely difficult just because I kept over looking the obvious. I thought it was quite a good game, and the Wii really surprised me when it came out. I didn't think it was capable of producing such graphics or that I could get immersed back int the LoZ franchise. The cartoony graphics of Wind Waker really shut me off to the whole thing. I would say that Twilight Princess was better than Ocarina of Time, IMHO. Skyward Sword, I haven't played yet, but the videos for the LoZ 2013 look incredible.

Spartan117 wrote:Does it ever bug you when you know about a really good game and it's like no one else in your neighborhood knows about it no matter what?

No. Never happened to me before. My friends and I all play similar games, and when one finds a good one, we try it out to see if we like it.

Spartan117 wrote:I intended to create this about Marathon and other Bungie classics

I think the only other Bungie classic that ever caught my interest was Oni, but even that is pretty meh. I did hear something about rebooting Marathon and Oni. From what I have heard from my cousin, Halo and Marathon are extremely similar to each other, even having Brutes with jetpacks. If its a spiritual predicessor to a game that I like why am I going back? I remember, vaguely, having a similar discussion with my cousin (same one) about playing Doom over Goldeneye.

They aren't that similiar. They only references to marathon in halo are similarly named weapons and enemies, and the ocasional emblem to spot throughout the series. The Pf'hor, like the Covenant, are an alien aliance, but through enslavement rather than peace treaties. And ancient, advanced races are actually very common in science fiction. Just give the game a try, and I'll even help you out on a LAN game.

Marathon to me is the archetype to Halo. Many aspects of it were carried on to the Halo and Reclaimer Trilogies (the beginning of Halo 4 was much like Marathon 2: Durandal's beginning.) Aside for the 7 references of course and perhaps some of the names that were carried on to the Halo franchise.

Regarding the characters, there are three AI in the games that affect the course of the game's plot as well as the Security Officer, named Leela, Durandal, and Tycho. Each of these AI had a purpose on the UESC Marathon that involved a sector of the ship. When the Pfhor arrived however, the three AIs were now pitted up against each other in which they go from fulfilling their originally programmed directives prior to the events, and then too acting on their own accord for their own selfish benefits. The driving force of their motives are based around rampancy and its stages: Melancholia, Jelousy, Anger, and the theoretical fourth stage, Metastability. Rampancy would affect character development for especially Durandal and Tycho. As you play the games, you will find that their choices will ultimately decide the fate of everything including yourself as well as the galaxy; it's not always about saving it. One of the ways they achieve their goals? You, the Mjolnir Mark IV Security Officer/Cyborg.

By Marathon 3, you will see character development for the character you play as also. The epiphany I've had about these characters after finishing these games made me appreciate the games; some questions that have been raised about certain events have been discussed and debated in the past by fellow players, and some of these discussions and debates are quite interesting to read about. But overall, this is one significant aspect of the game I love dearly, for it sets itself apart from the plot of other shooters and to me it still does today.

"As she raised a glass of water, everyone exptected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired, "How heavy is this glass of water?" The answers called out ranged from 8oz. to 20 oz. She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "The stress and worries in life are like that glass of water. think about them for awhile and nothing happens. Think about them for a big longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed - incapable of doing anything. Always remember to put the glass down."~ AnonymousPrevious Quote

Oh man, I don't know If you should with the rest of us; I played multiplayer matches online on Marathon 3 and my connection was hectic because one of the players was from Iceland LOL! If you guys live far away and go online to play some matches, be prepared to see a player walking in circles if it's the case that your connection sucks. I saw it, it was like, Linda Blair and Dead Space haunted my games like it was a creepypasta coming to life.

And since you mention LAN parties, no can do sir. And I don't really play online with buddies, I'm not a frequent player like I was before. Stupid graduation projects.

"As she raised a glass of water, everyone exptected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired, "How heavy is this glass of water?" The answers called out ranged from 8oz. to 20 oz. She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "The stress and worries in life are like that glass of water. think about them for awhile and nothing happens. Think about them for a big longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed - incapable of doing anything. Always remember to put the glass down."~ AnonymousPrevious Quote

"As she raised a glass of water, everyone exptected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired, "How heavy is this glass of water?" The answers called out ranged from 8oz. to 20 oz. She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "The stress and worries in life are like that glass of water. think about them for awhile and nothing happens. Think about them for a big longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed - incapable of doing anything. Always remember to put the glass down."~ AnonymousPrevious Quote

Nah. It's nothing like that; it's aiming the gun and learning how to use it that throws me off in death matches.

"As she raised a glass of water, everyone exptected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired, "How heavy is this glass of water?" The answers called out ranged from 8oz. to 20 oz. She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "The stress and worries in life are like that glass of water. think about them for awhile and nothing happens. Think about them for a big longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed - incapable of doing anything. Always remember to put the glass down."~ AnonymousPrevious Quote

Okay, I know know one has posted here in like, 22 days. (Is that bad?). But I just learned that the trilogy isn't the only thing you can download. But also the Aleph one source engine and be able to download a whole bunch of community-made scenarios that can include new textures, weapons, and enemies. Really fantastic, I think it's worth a shot for those who enjoy the game.

great, Theres quite a few scenarios out there to try. Theres marathon eternal which adds fantastic architecture and weapons. They all are really good, some of them can be down right scary, such as marathon Red or Marathon Evil.